EVERY organisation today is operating in a landscape marked by rapid change, economic pressure, emotional fatigue, and increasing complexities.
In this environment, traditional self and work management tools are no longer enough.
The modern workplace now demands strong emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, resilience, and mental agility at all levels in an organisation. This is why coaching has become one of the most valuable assets in progressive organisations not as a “nice to have,” but as a strategic priority for organisations.
In November 2025, I was honoured to receive the titles Mental Health Coach of the Year and Overall Coach of the Year (2025) from the International Coaching and Mentoring Foundation (ICMF).
While the recognition is humbling, it signals a deeper shift: Zimbabwean corporates are waking up to the truth that mental fitness and coaching are no longer an optional dessert but part of the main meal, central to productivity, leadership, and organisational excellence.
First and foremost, coaching is not a band aid for poor performance. It is the deliberate strategy that turns great talent into historic success. Let’s take a look at the world of soccer.
Top-tier football clubs do not hire the world's best coaches like Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta or Carlo Ancelotti to fix a failing team's basic errors.
They engage them to elevate an already talented squad to championship-winning status.
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The coach provides the strategic vision, refines existing skills, and instils a winning mentality necessary to secure titles.
This highlights how effective coaching pushes individuals and teams from good to great, focusing on continuous improvement and the pursuit of excellence rather than simply correcting poor performance.
Leadership today requires more than technical competence.
Executives must lead through uncertainty, manage diverse teams, make high-stakes decisions, and communicate with clarity, all while navigating personal pressures.
Mental wellbeing, growth mindsets and emotional resilience are some of the key competencies needed to win a highly competitive environment like the Zimbabwean economy.
These skills are hardly taught in business school, well at least not 10 years ago when most of the current leaders were in business school.
To compete well, not only in the local economy, but at regional and global markets, the current leader needs a personal coach to help with the development of the once ‘soft skills’ but now ‘critical skills’.
According to research, approximately 90% of top performers are high in emotional intelligence (EQ), and it's considered a key driver of leadership success.
While this percentage refers to top performers, only about 36% of people worldwide are considered emotionally intelligent, and a significant number of careers (75%) are derailed by a lack of it.
These just goes to show the coaching gap in many industries and organisations who could do better than they currently are, if leadership coaching became a strategic intent.
A well-coached leader:
l thinks more strategically,
l regulates emotions under pressure,
l inspires confidence,
l manages conflict effectively, and
l creates psychologically safe teams.
The result is higher trust, better performance, corporate brand preservation and more sustainable leadership cultures.
Coaching improves productivity across teams. As alluded to earlier, technical skills alone are no longer enough for the 21st century world of work.
Stress, burnout, and emotional overload are now among the top drivers of low productivity in Zimbabwe’s workplaces.
Employees are working 8 to 5 but are not performing at their highest capacity. According to the World Health Organisation, the global economy is losing approximately 12 billion working days every year due to mental health issues like chronic stress, depression and anxiety.
This is equivalent to about 50 million years of work and costs the global economy an estimated US$1 trillion in lost productivity.
The loss in productivity occurs not just through absenteeism, but also through presenteeism - being at work but not performing optimally.
The overall impact on performance can be severe.
The cost of mental health conditions to the Zimbabwean economy was US$ 163.6 million in 2021 alone, equivalent to 0.6% of the gross domestic product (GDP).
Just 5% of those annual costs were on expenditure for mental health, while the vast majority (95%) was the cost due to lost workforce productivity through premature death, disability or reduced productivity (WHO | Regional Office for Africa).
Coaching in the workplace can go a long way in transforming the above losses into productivity and profits.
Studies show that for every dollar invested in mental health programmes, businesses can see a significant return, with some research indicating a return of US$4 to US$10 or more in benefits, including a US$3.27 return on reduced healthcare costs and US$2.73 on reduced absenteeism for every dollar spent.
Coaching helps teams to
l manage personal and work pressures
l clarify priorities
l reduce emotional noise
l improve focus
l build resilience, and
l adopt healthy coping mechanisms.
When the mind becomes organised, performance skyrockets!!
Coaching for corporate culture
Toxic work environments cost organisations money through absenteeism, high staff turnover, disengagement, team conflicts and internal conflicts. On the other hand, coaching builds healthier cultures by introducing tools like:
l emotional intelligence
l communication mastery
l conflict de-escalation
l change management
l change management
l stress management, and
l personal responsibility.
When culture improves, systems and processes improve. Retention, teamwork, morale, and improved performance are the results thereof.
Coaching for organisational transformation
Business transformation rarely fails because of strategy or technology or finances. It fails because people are not mentally or emotionally prepared for change.
When I did my master’s programme, my dissertation was on “strategy implementation” and from the research findings, one of the top reasons why excellent strategies fail is lack of staff/stakeholder buy in.
When employees are anxious, uncertain, or overwhelmed, even the best transformation plan meets resistance.
Real change requires psychological readiness: clarity on why the shift matters, confidence in their ability to adapt, and a sense of emotional safety throughout the journey.
Without this foundation, organisations push forward while their people hold back, creating friction, disengagement, and ultimately failure.
Preparing minds and emotions is not a “soft” step, it is the decisive factor that turns transformation from a paper vision into lived reality.
Coaching ensures that employees at all levels develop the psychological flexibility needed for:
l restructuring
l strategy shifts
l digital transformation
l leadership changes
l new performance expectations
l retirement
Coaching aligns mindsets with organisational goals. This is the recipe for organisational success.
How coaching benefits your organisation immediately
Here are practical outcomes companies see within months of implementing the right coaching programs for their specific needs and goals:
l More confident leadership and better decision-making
l Reduced workplace conflict
l Higher emotional intelligence across teams
l Improved staff engagement and motivation
l Greater alignment with strategic goals
l Better stress management
l Enhanced innovation and problem-solving
l Healthier, more resilient corporate cultures
Coaching is not a cost — it is a performance multiplier.
A message to executives and HR leaders
Many organisations assume that their top performers and executives are “fine” simply because they consistently deliver—until the moment they burn out.
High achievers often carry the heaviest loads, push through pressure without complaint, and quietly absorb emotional and mental strain.
Their strength becomes invisible, and their resilience is mistaken for invulnerability.
But without intentional support, even the most capable leaders eventually hit a breaking point.
By the time burnout shows, it’s already too late.
Organisations that thrive recognise that their best people need care, not just expectations, and that proactive wellbeing is a strategic investment—not an emergency response.
Coaching provides a safe, confidential space for leaders and top talent to reset, reflect, and strengthen their performance. It is a preservation strategy!
From my work with companies across various industries, one message is clear: Zimbabwean corporates want to build healthier workplaces where people thrive — and coaching is becoming a key driver of that shift.
If your organisation is serious about performance, sustainability, and people-first leadership, coaching is one of the greatest investments you can make.
In a competitive environment, your true advantage lies in the hearts and minds of your people.
l Coaching unlocks clarity.
l Clarity unlocks performance.
l Performance drives organisational growth.
Zimbabwe is at a turning point and organisations that invest in coaching today will be the ones that lead tomorrow. Take the first move advantage and consider coaching as a strategic move for the year 2026 and beyond
